0:00

Greetings, adventurers! Welcome

0:02

to Shores of the Silver Thrum. If you've

0:05

never listened to Dark Dice before, this is a

0:07

great place to start. Caitlin Statz and

0:09

myself are co-DMs, co-narrators,

0:12

and co-creators of the adventure you are

0:14

about to embark on. If you've never played

0:16

or heard of Dungeons and Dragons before, that's

0:18

great! You only need to enjoy our story,

0:21

as we have gone quite far out of our

0:23

way to remove most of the references to

0:25

the fact that this was originally played as an improvised

0:27

game. The significance for you, however,

0:29

as the listener, is that any character, or

0:31

all of them, can die unexpectedly. And

0:34

even we the

0:35

creators do not know where the final chapter will

0:37

take us. Yes, this is the season

0:39

with Lily Pichu and Eric Nelson. No, Jeff

0:41

Goldblum is a player in season 2, actually.

0:44

And these lovely people only agreed to play at our table

0:46

because season 1 is just that much fun.

0:49

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy

0:51

our prologue episode, Embark, which

0:53

was released two weeks ago and introduces the crew

0:56

of The Willow's Wake in greater detail, along

0:58

with Deckhand's Convo and Yara. Additionally,

1:01

if you have interest in bringing The Willow's Wake into

1:03

your own adventures, you can find the full

1:05

rules

1:05

and backstory, including a fully

1:07

illustrated crew manifest on our Patreon,

1:09

free of spoilers for future episodes. A

1:12

link is in the show notes. A final reminder

1:14

that this season is scheduled to release every

1:16

other Tuesday until October, so stay subscribed

1:19

and stay prepared. Only one question

1:22

remains.

1:26

Shalice DePace. Salis.

1:30

Do you seek him? Do you seek him?

1:32

Do you seek him? Do

1:35

you seek him? Do

1:37

you seek the nameless god? You

1:40

have found yourself among

1:42

those who roll the dark

1:45

dice. What you're about to hear

1:47

happened long ago. A

1:50

story brought back from the edge of oblivion,

1:53

dutifully transcribed and enhanced

1:56

orally to better captivate your

1:58

attention.

1:59

Our tale is a harrowing

2:02

and collaborative one set within

2:04

a world of dungeons and dragons.

2:07

However,

2:07

dissimilar to most stories of its kind,

2:10

our protagonists are not fantastic

2:13

heroes of legend, they do not

2:15

understand what lays on the path

2:18

of their fate, and they do not overcome

2:20

all odds. Fear the

2:23

strangers in your midst.

2:26

Never play games of

2:29

fate.

2:33

Dark dice, shores of

2:35

the silver thrum.

2:51

Chapter 1. In

2:53

the Willow's Wake.

3:02

The city of Ember Grodd was small, run

3:04

down, and mud strewn. Every

3:06

breath smelled of fish and tidewater. Its

3:09

nicest feature, surely, would be to watch

3:11

the city vanish on the horizon. A

3:14

group of five travelers stood at the end

3:16

of a long dock, one of many.

3:19

They had been led there by an overworked halfling employee

3:21

of the Farholler Company, the company

3:23

with which they had all separately booked passage. With

3:26

a point and an odd toward the ship docked before

3:28

them, papers were signed, the crew

3:31

was readied,

3:32

and the guests had arrived. After

3:34

placing a small board of wood and paper

3:36

on a nearby crate, the halfling turned,

3:39

and with a practiced bow took her leave. The

3:41

travelers now rested in the captain's

3:43

charge,

3:45

rocking against the gentle waves, speaking

3:47

with every soft toss to and fro,

3:49

a spot-rusted well-worn wooden

3:52

galleon waded. Its name had

3:54

once been etched into a placard on its portside

3:57

hull, which shone like silver in

3:59

reflecting

3:59

sea light. But that placard

4:02

had long since sunk beneath the waves.

4:05

Now only flaking paint gently

4:07

outlined, the willows wake.

4:10

Stepping aboard the deck, the creaking seemed to

4:13

lessen, but only because the ringing

4:15

of the rigging and the fluttering of luffing

4:17

sails filled the sea thick air. A

4:20

sturdy man dressed in salt splattered

4:22

blue dyed leathers walked out

4:24

to the deck. He nodded

4:26

and greeting, then scratched the white scruff of

4:28

his short beard.

4:29

Now older than most who still

4:32

braved the icy and wild waters, he

4:34

was sure in his sea legs, even

4:36

as the willows wake gently arched with every

4:38

wave. With wrinkled eyes,

4:40

the man peered back over his shoulder to the docks

4:42

beyond, then gently smiled as he turned

4:45

his attention to the group.

4:46

You must be our passage

4:48

guest then. He scanned the documents,

4:50

flipping between the pages quickly with pursed lips

4:53

and a nodded brow. Right,

4:56

welcome aboard the willows wake, a farhauler

4:58

company vessel. I'm Captain Victor

5:00

Gormain and we'll be embarking shortly

5:03

on the half-month journey to Winterport. I

5:06

don't mean to call you out, but would just like to verify

5:08

that we have everyone. Let's

5:11

start with you sir. I've never seen

5:13

an awkward horns. Surely you

5:15

must be RJ. Yes,

5:18

that would be me.

5:20

My name is Jasper William

5:22

Cartwright. I'm a professional actor from

5:24

England who you may know from shows like Through Black

5:26

Halflings, not another D&D podcast,

5:28

or many many others that are out there.

5:31

There's quite a few honestly. And here among

5:33

those who roll the dark dice, I'll be playing the

5:35

role of the half-orc warlock, Ajay

5:38

Ogun. Ajay stands very tall

5:40

with these big elk-like horns stretching

5:42

out from the side of his head. He wears

5:45

some roughly shorn leather armor with a semi-circle

5:47

metal breastplate on his chest, which seems

5:50

to be inscribed with runes and symbols.

5:53

He has a big heavy travellers cloak on

5:55

and he's clearly hunching his shoulders and trying

5:58

not to extend to his full height.

5:59

aware of how intimidating he might

6:02

come across to those he's meeting. He

6:04

simply extends out a hand to shake with

6:06

the captain and smiles at him. A

6:08

pleasure to meet you then. My

6:11

crew will take your... your...

6:15

You know, it doesn't appear

6:17

as though you have any luggage. I keep

6:19

all of my personal belongings on me. No

6:21

worries. Thank you, friend. Well

6:23

then, you sir. The bur of

6:25

her carfling. You must be Mr.

6:28

Nimble-Remble Trout Spine,

6:29

was it? Oh, it's Trout Spine

6:32

Trout, but you can't just call me Nimble. Captain.

6:35

Sir? Anyway, I think it's easy enough,

6:37

but it's not the most common name for big folk like you, so

6:39

just Nimble, please, and thank you.

6:42

Hello, I am Daniel Batcini, a localization

6:44

voiceover, actor, sound designer, and

6:47

audio drum producer from Brazil. And

6:49

I'm Tling Nimble. Nimble-Remble

6:52

Trout Spine Trout is a burrow folk ranger,

6:54

a halfling folk hero. He is

6:56

a friendly young man with a bag swung

6:58

over his shoulder filled with clothing for different

7:01

types of terrain, like snow, swamp,

7:04

tall grass. He is casually dressed

7:06

but excited for this trip. His eyes

7:08

look chew and fro, glancing at the docks

7:10

and the sheeps and all the new things he's

7:13

never seen before. And Nimble

7:15

is a bit short, even for halflings, and he

7:17

doesn't mean chew, but he's quite stealthy

7:20

when he moves. It looks a bit like

7:22

he's been in the wilds for a while,

7:24

because his hair and beard

7:26

are all curly and wild, but despite

7:28

this, his expression and constantly tapping

7:31

feet and fingers make it clear that he's

7:33

still quite a young guy. He's

7:35

got this simple tattoos visible on his

7:37

arms,

7:38

from his hands up to his shoulder,

7:40

in a dark pattern that looks a bit like a river,

7:43

and it's supposed to be a river. In

7:45

fact, there's also a small vial of water

7:47

from his home on the Shady Hill River that

7:50

is occasionally visible on a necklace he's

7:52

wearing under his shirt. He

7:54

has never been this far from home, so he's

7:56

very excited, talking a bunch

7:58

whenever there's a moment of silence.

7:59

and he is barely concentrating

8:02

on what a captain is saying as he pats his

8:04

buddies Vind and Ajay on the back of the legs

8:06

and whispers.

8:29

Umm, yes, don't call

8:31

me V, by the way. Call me Viviana.

8:34

I am Lily Pichu, I am a YouTuber, streamer,

8:36

voice actress. I'll be playing a tiefling

8:38

rogue named Viviana Bloodchamber. Viviana

8:41

is a very tall, young, skinny tiefling.

8:43

Kind of like a half-human, half-devil, basically.

8:46

She has long black hair that goes down to her

8:48

lower back. It's thick and unbrushed, very

8:51

scruffy, with straight tangles everywhere. She

8:53

has light blue skin, small horns, purple

8:55

eyes, and a thin tail that ends in a heart-shaped

8:58

point. Her custom black leather armor gives

9:00

her a bit of a gothic look. It's easy to

9:02

tell from a single glance that she doesn't really want to be

9:04

there. She just sort of motions to a backpack

9:07

on the ground next to her that she's stuffed

9:09

with traveling goods and waits for someone

9:11

to pick it up.

9:12

With an almost invisible nod from the captain, an

9:15

older half-orc deckhand moved to pick

9:17

up her pack, which was surprisingly heavy.

9:20

Noted, and sorry for the confusion, Lady Viviana.

9:24

I can tell from your clothing that you're darlerian

9:27

nobility. You must

9:29

be Lady Lan. Did I say that right?

9:31

Yes, you did. Nice to meet you.

9:34

Lan proceeds to shake the captain's hand. I

9:38

am Sophie Yang, a voice actor from Taiwan

9:40

who you might know from the White Vault or

9:42

Vast Horizon. And for this campaign,

9:44

I had the pleasure of playing the human bard known

9:47

as Lan Chiu.

9:48

Lan is a human with dark hair,

9:51

Asian features like my own, and she's dressed

9:53

in high-quality qi pao, which is to say,

9:55

well-embridered formal wear

9:58

with beautifully stitched designs.

9:59

of the sun, mountains, and flowers.

10:02

And she holds herself in a way that it's clear

10:05

that she feels like she's the center of every

10:07

situation and she has the charisma to back

10:09

it up most of the time. Even

10:11

from the walk to the ship from the docks, it's

10:14

clear that she's well-mannered, cultured,

10:16

and a part of upper society. It

10:19

just happens that the home her society belongs

10:21

to, Daleria, was destroyed

10:23

a few hundred years ago. Lon

10:25

oftentimes mumbles poetry, or

10:28

at least it sounds like she is, but those

10:29

who speak chandelarian will

10:32

understand that she's actually just cursing

10:34

most of the time. We thought you were

10:36

telling us nice things. And sometimes

10:39

that may be true. Well,

10:41

she carries well-crafted daggers

10:44

and has just taken a home remedy she believes

10:46

will prevent her from getting seasick while

10:48

glancing at the luggage beside her, which

10:51

contains a change of clothing and a few things

10:53

that'll make her feel, make her cabin

10:55

feel more like home. Some

10:57

things from the homeland she's never seen.

10:59

Ah, lovely. We'll

11:02

have those taken to your room shortly, Lady Lon. Then

11:05

that just leaves Sir Greyview of

11:07

the Shade Elves. Do I have that right? Hello,

11:10

Captain. I am Eric Nelson,

11:13

a TV actor.

11:14

And the youngest Emmy Award-winning actor ever.

11:17

Yep. That too. And

11:19

today I am playing the lovely,

11:22

handsome, but not particularly

11:24

intelligent, Rogueshelf, Vinned

11:27

Greyview. Before he opens his

11:29

mouth, you get the idea that beneath those

11:31

golden locks and deep blue-green

11:33

eyes is a leader that you can trust,

11:36

a hero of his people. After

11:39

he opens his mouth, well,

11:43

Vinned has a really impressive scar

11:46

over his left eye, a water flask

11:48

carved from an owlbear cloth slung to

11:50

his hip, and armor crafted

11:53

from shade steel leaves, which fit

11:55

like a second layer of muscle that augment

11:57

his own athletically fit body. He

12:00

wears a beautiful green cloak and long-sleeved

12:03

tunic, which could only have been sown by the finest

12:06

elven craftsmen. While throwing

12:08

javelins are slung behind his shoulder, he

12:10

uses a very elaborate, almost

12:13

magical looking spear with a gem

12:15

in the middle as a walking stick. It's

12:17

clear that the spear is important to him, and

12:20

as this rugged hero stands tall,

12:22

looking from his traveling companions

12:24

to the captain, he takes a breath.

12:27

And then our lovely

12:28

Vind opens his mouth and stumbles

12:30

a bit because it seems like he's more

12:33

of a hunter than someone used to introducing

12:35

himself. Heh.

12:36

Ahem.

12:39

Yes. Yes, you have that right. I'm

12:42

Vind Greyview, the leader of the

12:44

Shade Elves from the Blackstone Forest and

12:46

the Blackstone Triad. We

12:48

are a clan of about,

12:51

well, around 270 elves, which are

12:55

under my leadership at the moment. And,

12:58

uh, not

13:00

too many. So please, no

13:03

sir needed. You can

13:05

call me Vind. It's

13:07

very nice to meet you, Captain Galmade. I

13:09

look forward to the journey. Well

13:11

met all. Nel

13:14

Deech willing, it'll be an uneventful journey.

13:17

Speaking of which, we will need to head out rather

13:19

quickly. First, to the Sunken Bullwerk. It's

13:22

about a five days journey, and once we arrive,

13:24

we'll be docked there for a full day. With

13:26

any luck, we'll

13:27

make it in time for the observance of last light. The

13:30

captain glanced over his shoulder to a tall man

13:33

indicating that time and perhaps the tides

13:35

were running out. When the captain returned

13:38

his gaze to the guests in front of him, he

13:40

appeared nervous. Thought

13:42

struck. And, uh, once

13:45

we've given to the Sunken One, we'll

13:47

be on our way to Winterport. It'll be

13:49

about two weeks journey to the Sunken Bullwerk. From

13:52

the First Mate Corrected, a side

13:54

smile on his sun-worn face. From,

13:57

from the Sunken Bullwerk. Thank you, Les. I

14:00

apologize, your arrival was

14:02

delayed but our departure cannot be. So,

14:05

if you have any further questions I'll leave you in the capable

14:08

hands of second mate, Aftmithoff. On

14:10

the deck, Deckhan's convo and Yelena

14:12

here will carry your belongings. Please

14:15

introduce yourselves.

14:15

And as the captain turned on

14:18

his heels he called various crew members to

14:20

swift action. The tattooed half-orc

14:22

who had taken Lady Viviana's bags had returned

14:25

and moved to introduce himself.

14:27

Right away boss, not a problem.

14:30

Hi, I'm Enrique Perez, a friend of Travis

14:32

and Caitlin's living in Spain. And today

14:34

I'm playing a half-orc fighter named Convo.

14:37

Convo's an older half-orc,

14:39

middle aged with graying dreads and a beard.

14:42

He's covered arm to arm in runic tattoos

14:44

and he's got a tall stature and

14:46

darker tan skin. But you

14:48

can't see much of it because he's almost completely

14:51

covered in colored tattoos. He's

14:53

muscular but he's got a bit of a beard

14:55

belly because he let himself go roughly

14:57

five years ago. He's still physically imposing

15:00

though he tries to look as friendly as he can

15:02

with his posture and gestures. He isn't

15:04

used to talking with fancy folk so he

15:07

sort of musters up the courage for a cool

15:09

guy

15:09

nod. Greetings

15:11

everybody, my name is Convo. This

15:14

is Yelena.

15:15

A dark haired human woman standing next

15:17

to him spoke up. Hi, I'm Yelena.

15:20

You work here aboard the Willow's wake as

15:22

Deckhan's. We'll be helping you with

15:24

your uh... stuff, I

15:26

guess.

15:28

If you could nicely point out to

15:30

what shit you need getting hauled aboard so

15:32

we can get going. It's tough,

15:34

not shit. Damn. I

15:36

would appreciate it if my things were

15:38

never referred to as shit.

15:41

Thank you. Sorry. Take these

15:43

to my cabin.

15:44

Anyone

15:47

else? You can take my backpack

15:49

too. I'll

15:52

get that. Everything.

15:55

Well, I'm not sure I have anything. Nimble

15:58

scratched his beard. Oblivious.

15:59

the pack he carried. I mean, you

16:02

have a pretty big bag slung over your shoulder

16:04

there. Huh? Are you sure you don't need any help?

16:07

Oh, it's for me! Oh, sorry, no, no, no, no. It's just

16:09

clothes. It's very light. Don't worry. I

16:12

have some traveling gear and would

16:15

absolutely welcome a hand with it. Got it. Let's

16:18

get moving, if you would. Could

16:22

I give you a hint, perhaps? Ajay

16:24

addressed Convo from a similar height. The

16:26

older half-orc felt an unexpected familiarity

16:29

and kindness

16:29

in Ajay's words. Convo,

16:32

unaccustomed to unfamiliar niceties, was

16:35

unsure how to register his emotions

16:37

and did his best to brush away the interaction quickly.

16:40

Nope. I think I got it. That's

16:42

why I'm here. Ugh. Ah,

16:45

these are the guests. And?

16:48

Convo led the guests toward a halfling woman

16:51

on deck, who was rapidly coiling ropes

16:53

as they were tossed up from the docks below. Captain

16:56

said you'd show them around.

16:57

Can you give me like two

17:00

minutes? You know what? Yara,

17:03

why don't you take a sec to introduce yourself?

17:05

The halfling woman pointed to a man

17:07

who appeared to be another of the ship's deckhands,

17:10

a bearded human with a dark owl perched

17:12

on one shoulder. Yes, ma'am. Hello,

17:16

my name is Florian Seidler. I

17:18

am a father, a German

17:20

language tutor, and an occasional theater

17:23

actor from Berlin. And I

17:25

will be playing a human rogue named Yara

17:28

Driftwood. Yara normally

17:30

wears tattered looking clothing, but

17:33

today he's been instructed to wear something a little

17:35

bit

17:35

nicer, something that will keep

17:37

him warm and a bit more professional

17:40

than normal. He

17:42

sports a well-trimmed beard, long

17:44

hair that he keeps tight on a man bun, pinned

17:47

together with elements of a lockpick set,

17:49

which none of you will realize, but

17:51

I figure others would appreciate. But

17:55

the most notable and noticeable

17:57

thing is the little owl sitting on

17:59

his left shoulder.

18:00

That's someone you're gonna get

18:04

to know, maybe, later. And

18:07

Jare, nervous at talking to

18:09

the ship's guests and being suddenly put on

18:11

the spot, does his best to give a polite

18:14

welcoming motion with his arms

18:16

as he says, yes, of course. Jare,

18:20

I'm the shipwright for this trip. If

18:22

you have anything that needs fixing, just

18:25

let me know. If there's anything

18:27

else you need carried down to the mess hall, just

18:30

leave it port side of the... for

18:32

you that's over here, the

18:34

left side of the ship. Just leave

18:36

it there

18:36

and our fine crew will take care

18:39

of it. He glances

18:41

nervously at Aaph for guidance and

18:44

sees that she's just not gonna give it before

18:46

continuing. Nice

18:48

to have you aboard.

18:50

This year, this

18:52

is my friend Seely. Just

18:55

stay out of her way and let her mind

18:57

her own business and she'll keep

18:59

the rats away. Don't mention the rats.

19:02

What? Did you

19:04

mention what you're not supposed to be mentioning? Did

19:07

I mention anything? I'm sorry. I mean,

19:10

we gave this ship a good

19:12

cleaning. We're

19:14

taking care of that. Don't worry about what

19:17

he's saying. We're taking care of it. Don't

19:19

worry about it.

19:20

Yeah, just go downstairs, man. Just

19:22

go downstairs. The Halfling Woman abandoned

19:24

her task to salvage the introduction, giving

19:27

a grand bow and doing her best to be polite.

19:29

And save us. I'm Av

19:31

Mitzvah, second mate of the Willows

19:33

Wake. Yeah, I'm a Halfling.

19:36

And no, I'm actually quite

19:38

tall for Halflings.

19:40

As you can see here today, we're near a Kleiner skeletal

19:42

crew, this expedition, meaning if you see

19:44

a problem, let one of us know so we can fix it. Schnell,

19:48

Schnell, yeah? So,

19:52

are any of you prone to seasickness?

19:56

I have not

19:56

been on a boat before, so... We

20:00

will see, I guess. Road tip

20:02

for you. Keep it out of the boat, not

20:04

in the boat. What would I keep out of the

20:07

boat? Whatever comes out of you. That

20:09

is most encouraging. Thank

20:11

you, Fritz. If you need a hand with anything,

20:14

or if you're feeling uneasy, I'm here for

20:16

you, buddy. I'm good, thank you.

20:18

Viviana raises her

20:20

hand to ask a question. Yeah?

20:23

Please don't feel like you have to raise your hand, you're the guest

20:26

here. Yeah, sorry. How's the food

20:28

here? I'm starving. Uh,

20:31

that's a very good question. You're from Hellendria,

20:33

right?

20:33

Oh, the food here is great.

20:37

So good. Well, they mentioned some

20:39

rats earlier. They did mention the rats. Enough

20:41

on the menu. Are you sure you Viviana? Lady

20:44

Viviana. Lady Viviana. Gross.

20:47

There is nothing wrong with rats. Ugh. No,

20:50

no, no, no, no. Let me speak firsthand

20:52

that Uda does a great job at cooking

20:54

on the ship. By far, perhaps some of the

20:57

best meals I've had on a ship, or

20:59

on land. Okay. A real talent

21:02

with a knife. The cooking kind.

21:03

And he's old, so you know you can trust him. What?

21:06

I'm not that old. What about Linson? He's

21:09

maybe over 100. Unbelievable. It hasn't

21:11

even been five minutes. So the food is,

21:13

or isn't that edible? So that's,

21:16

we'll get you sorted right away with

21:18

some food as we

21:20

get your stuff put away. Combo,

21:23

Yelena, coffee bit on schnell ya.

21:25

Schnell boss. I'll do a quick introduction

21:27

and tour, and then we'll get you some food by the time we leave

21:29

the harbor. Second mate Av Mitov

21:32

pointed at various crew members, all working

21:34

under setting sun and rolling sweat to get

21:36

the ship off the docks and out to the open

21:39

sea. It was winter and

21:41

days had grown even shorter, though

21:43

the work remained as heavy as ever. Among

21:46

the crew, the human man the captain had spoken

21:48

with earlier was now shouting orders across

21:50

the ship. Yelena, Jack, Kans,

21:52

Linson, Unbecca, the dwarf and teething respectively,

21:55

is Mr Mason

21:56

Loehse, our first mate. You

21:58

met Cap? the captain,

22:00

Captain Gelmaine, good man. Now,

22:04

over there's our sea sorcerer, Myra Galask.

22:07

They're around, so we've always got wind in our sails.

22:12

The helm there, navigator Looper,

22:15

and the orc bringing the coffee there, yep.

22:18

She's our ship's cook, Uda Quitt.

22:21

Yeah, so the

22:23

willows wake is a lovely galleon, drawing

22:26

at 12 feet, nine inches. She's got over 2,200

22:29

journeys under her sails and is 170 and eight years old.

22:34

Up there is the toilet known as the

22:36

head. Back there's the captain's quarters.

22:38

They're just under the helm. The

22:41

other door next to the captain's quarters is our special

22:43

guest quarters for ladies Lam

22:46

and Viviana. The

22:50

rest of you fine guests will be sleeping in the main

22:51

mess with us crew just down these stairs. I'll

22:54

add that you're not the only passengers on this voyage

22:58

and we've got a fairly dangerous prisoner. We'd like

23:00

to keep isolated in our hold as well, so please

23:02

kindly

23:03

don't go there unless you want a scolding from

23:05

Mr. Roman Page, our ship's jailer. Speaking

23:09

of which, I gotta go make sure things

23:12

are ship-shaping the galley, her kitchen, at

23:14

the bottom of the boat and get Uda moving

23:16

on that meal. So,

23:18

Yara, Yara and convo, please make sure

23:20

our guests feel welcome. Roosty

23:22

got her.

23:23

And with that, I've walked off,

23:26

leaving the discomforts of public speaking in her

23:28

wake. She knew well the result

23:30

of her actions and grinned a small smile

23:32

at seeing the slight nervousness and convo in

23:34

Yara's eyes.

23:36

Yeah, so as you guys can see, the

23:38

leadership's a little bit busy in the ship as we're

23:40

a small crew in such a big galley.

23:43

So if you guys have any questions or if you guys need

23:45

anything, feel free to hit me, Yelena

23:47

or Yara up. We'll do our best that

23:49

we can to sort you guys out. That's it,

23:52

we'll grab your things and put them all down below. And

23:55

outside of that, Yara, if you

23:57

want to give them the grand tour, feel free. I'll

24:00

be down below. By

24:02

the way, Yelena, speaking of Omen,

24:04

if you see him around, tell him I'm

24:07

looking for him.

24:08

I kinda wanna ask him for a favor. Sure.

24:11

Omen, you said? Omen, yeah.

24:14

Convo made eye contact with Yelena and Yara,

24:16

then moved to take Vin's gear below deck. I

24:19

think Ajay, even though

24:21

you said you didn't need help, will just like walk

24:23

with you. If you don't want help, he won't

24:25

help. Because he wouldn't hurt

24:28

another Orcs' pride like that. But

24:30

I think as he walks alongside

24:32

you, he'll just say, could I ask you

24:34

a question, friend? This prisoner,

24:37

what have they done? I think

24:39

it is important to know if there is a dangerous

24:41

person on board.

24:42

Dangerous person? In

24:44

what sense? I mean, anybody can

24:46

be dangerous, even more so if you're

24:48

stranded at sea. That is a very

24:51

good political answer. I think you know

24:53

what I mean. Getting the willow's wake is

24:55

pretty on the level if you know what I mean.

24:57

We got some newer people in the crew. I'm

25:00

actually fairly new to the ship myself. Oh, watch

25:02

your horns there. Thank you. Alright, I

25:04

came from another ship a little ways

25:06

back and I find myself in need of

25:08

coins so I'm trying to stretch out my sea

25:11

legs a little bit. Inside of our extra guest,

25:14

everybody here is quite professional. So

25:16

you don't know what the prisoner is here for?

25:19

It's okay if you don't know. It's not like I don't

25:21

know. But you're right. Now

25:24

I'm interested, dammit. Probably

25:26

just stole a gold or something but if I don't find

25:28

out, it'll bug me the entire trip so you

25:30

know what? We can go ask him together

25:33

later. When there's time. That

25:35

would put my mind at ease as well, Convo.

25:37

Thank

25:38

you. Watch your head here again. Thank

25:41

you. It is the horns. Every

25:43

time. So, the prisoner. Is

25:46

he attractive? You're

25:48

sneaky. When did you get here? The prisoner.

25:51

Attractive. Yes or no? It

25:53

depends on what your perspective of attractive

25:55

is. It's a very relative term. Why,

25:58

one through time, give me a number.

27:59

this old had weathered many storms

28:02

and survived with its masts intact.

28:05

I think you see Ajay is flatly refusing

28:08

to do anything with these antler horns. He's

28:11

just bending down as low as he could possibly

28:13

get, even though it is genuinely

28:16

so difficult because they probably add another foot

28:19

and a half onto his already seven foot frame.

28:21

So navigating the lower decks of this

28:23

ship is an actual challenge

28:26

for Ajay.

28:27

Yara, taking mental notes of rusty

28:29

nails and uneven patches of floor, prepared

28:32

to give his grand tour.

28:33

This

28:36

is the lower deck. I guess this

28:38

is where most of you will be sleeping. This is

28:41

where we are sleeping. You

28:43

can see some cozy hammocks

28:45

over there. I

28:47

guess if as long as we're

28:49

working, you're welcome, you're free to

28:52

use them. I wouldn't use

28:54

the second one from the left because I'm

28:57

not to mention too much about these

28:59

hammocks as well, I guess, but feel

29:02

free to use them.

29:03

Relax over there. This, oh,

29:06

this might be the most important piece. This

29:08

is our book. So

29:10

if you ever have any downtime here on ship,

29:13

feel free to read it. It's

29:15

a collection of tales, but

29:18

please don't spoil

29:20

the endings. I haven't gone

29:23

through them all yet. Over

29:26

there as well, there is a little

29:29

chess table. Should you be willing

29:32

to play?

29:33

Not all the original pieces, but

29:35

what we've substituted works just fine.

29:39

Just don't play Omen. Don't.

29:44

Over there, that's the door

29:46

that'll take you to the cargo hold.

29:49

I don't think any of you have any business

29:52

in there, but should you find yourself in there, it's

29:54

pretty dark. Please,

29:57

just don't go in there. Further

30:00

down you can you can see the hatch

30:03

over there. Beneath

30:05

the hatch is a ladder which

30:07

goes to the kitchen. The

30:12

door to the galley thundered with a heavy knock.

30:14

Its iron handle creaked but did not open. Perfect

30:18

timing. Someone got to open

30:20

the door.

30:22

I have the food so open the

30:24

door or stay hungry. Hello?

30:28

I can hear you. Oh I think

30:30

we need to open the door. Oh uh

30:33

hold on hold on Uda. Sorry

30:37

about that sorry about that. Uh do

30:39

you want any help carrying that? Combo you

30:41

can grab all the bowls. I think we have actually

30:44

maybe a cup too. We don't have enough bowls.

30:47

From the hatch below a second very large

30:49

half-orc appeared. A woman carrying

30:52

an enormous metal cooking pot brimming with

30:54

something that filled the room with a fresh savory

30:57

aroma.

30:58

Some kind of fish with perhaps lemongrass.

31:01

The aroma felt very light even stuck

31:03

out on the open water.

31:05

Uda put down the large pot in the middle of the

31:07

long table and stirred the contents

31:09

about several times with a long

31:11

wooden spoon.

31:12

I got it I got

31:14

it. Uda by the way can I steal

31:17

some burnt charcoal from you if you don't

31:19

mind from your fire? Yeah it's burnt. Doesn't

31:21

do me any good anymore. Oh thanks appreciate

31:24

it.

31:24

Convo rushed down the stairs took one

31:26

of the longer narrower coals from

31:28

the fire and then brought up a pile of bowls

31:31

cutlery and a cup from the galley in

31:33

a unique balancing act.

31:34

I'm happy to give you a hand if you

31:36

need it. It's all right it's all right.

31:39

I'm the service you're the you're the people who pay

31:41

for the for the entertainment go ahead no

31:43

worries take a seat. I'm just grateful for

31:45

the ride so I'm I'm here to help

31:48

as much as

31:48

you if I can. There was certainly

31:50

no pump or circumstance as Uda served

31:52

the food which despite its pleasant aroma

31:55

visually embodied the fearful slop

31:58

which many had expected to eat.

31:59

such a vessel. Ooda

32:02

took a large wooden spoon of the milky

32:04

green cream, slapped it into

32:06

the bowl, and slid bowls towards her guests

32:08

before filling the next in kind. First

32:11

come, first serve. You can all

32:13

divvy seconds however you'd like. I don't

32:15

have time. But no one

32:18

goes hungry on my watch. Next

32:20

thing cooking is pork. Takes

32:23

me way too long, and I got to keep my eye on it. She

32:25

looked at her cooking pot one last time before

32:28

dipping the empty cup into it, and

32:30

taking a swig of the stew before descending

32:32

back down into the warm depths of the galley.

32:35

I'm not sure

32:35

how exactly things work here, so that means I can eat.

32:38

Yeah, whatever. That seems like some fish

32:40

I've never seen before. Oh.

32:43

Viviana immediately picks up a bowl,

32:46

takes a bite, and makes a very

32:48

disgruntled face, and

32:50

puts it back down. I think I'm good.

32:53

Is everything OK

32:55

with your food? No,

32:58

it tastes bad to me. I think I'm just not going

33:00

to eat. You are not going to eat the whole

33:02

time? Well, no. Obviously,

33:04

if I'm hungry, I'm going to eat. But

33:07

this is not good, so I'm not going to eat

33:09

right now. This is amazing!

33:12

I've never tasted fish like

33:14

this before! Right, nimble-mimble?

33:17

Mm, wow. Ah, this is quite

33:19

good. I'm impressed they have a true cook aboard

33:21

the ship. Reminds me of Sheybriba

33:23

Trout.

33:24

The ship back at home made such better

33:26

food. You know what? My family back

33:28

home folks call us trout spindrels, because there

33:30

are very many trout in the Shady River. The

33:37

Shady River folk, we- No one asked. Literally

33:40

no one asked. Oh,

33:42

I'm in. Well. They are fish,

33:44

lots of fish, and you like trout. Got it. And

33:48

Nimble keeps eating. Silent.

33:52

Oh, no. Yeah, if you

33:54

like the fish, wait till Uda takes out

33:56

the pork. That's going to be amazing.

33:58

Everything she cooks out here-

33:59

is like magic. Lon

34:03

takes a sip and says, Mmm, very

34:05

good. Reminds me of my homeland.

34:08

Very, very good. Guys, join

34:10

in. And she just takes in all of the

34:13

she starts off the inside of the ball since none

34:15

of us have eaten for a while. Like, Mmm,

34:18

very good. Very good. So

34:20

tasty. And just persuades, at

34:23

least chives to persuade Lady Vivian to join

34:25

in. You know that in the Bright Vale, there are

34:27

starving children who would love to eat

34:29

something like this.

34:30

I think Aje just does the whole bowl in one

34:33

go. Just pause it. Just

34:35

pause it without even chewing. It just smells like

34:37

that is gullet. Just...

34:38

Viviana looks at everyone eating

34:40

it with such happiness with disgust

34:43

in her eyes. And

34:45

just sits there quietly. Um,

34:49

Viviana, I'm sure that you are more

34:51

used to the finer taste of things. These

34:54

kinds of peasantry style dishes do not

34:56

please you so well, can I assume? Yeah,

34:59

you'd be right. The Chef Baca homemade

35:01

such better food. This? This is like...

35:04

I don't even know. How could you eat this?

35:06

I think everyone here is trying to do their best,

35:09

so... Viviana, if you could

35:11

choose one... just one

35:14

food item to have on board with you right now,

35:16

that would just, I don't know, tickle your

35:18

fancy. What would that be? I'm

35:21

just curious. Medium rare bison

35:23

steak. Bison steak? I

35:26

was going to see if I could perhaps do some fishing to

35:29

pull you up something maybe. I don't know, a little

35:31

more buttery fish, or perhaps a

35:33

little flakier of a fish. But I, I

35:37

don't think bison will be jumping out of the ocean

35:39

anytime soon. So I apologize. I

35:42

won't be able to help you there, but

35:43

perhaps you'll come around. Yeah,

35:45

no problem, Blondie. Blondie.

35:49

As all of this is happening, Jager

35:51

already having finished his bowl, of course, feeding

35:54

scraps to Sealy. He's

35:56

saying, if you don't like

35:58

the food, there's always, there's always

35:59

some bread over there in the corner.

36:02

We keep it, I

36:04

don't know, it's just it's stale bread, but

36:07

tickles your fancy. No, I

36:10

think I'm good. Thank you, though. Okay, so

36:12

kind of feeling a little bit of frustration

36:15

with a conversation that's going on. He doesn't

36:17

make it very obvious, but combo kind

36:20

of scratches his forehead,

36:21

kind of looks around wanting to defend

36:23

the honor of Uda's cooking.

36:25

But he knows better and says, well, if

36:28

y'all excuse me, I need to talk

36:30

to Mr. Omen. Oh, you guys

36:32

are more than welcome to join me when you're done eating and

36:34

such. Yara,

36:35

can you you

36:38

mind going on with tour? I got some shit

36:40

to do in the hold. If you if you

36:42

wouldn't mind waiting a second, and

36:45

he takes Canvo to the side. No, no, no,

36:47

no, no, no, no, I'm sure you got it. You

36:49

know, this shit better than anyone else. And I got

36:51

shit to do. Sorry.

36:53

And combo just books it out and leaves Yara stranded

36:55

there. Okay. Are we in the middle of

36:57

a meal? Yara, what's going

36:59

on? Yara, that was a strangely odd exit.

37:02

Is, is everything okay? Yeah.

37:05

Well, we're in the middle of a meal, aren't we?

37:07

Do crew members not take time to enjoy

37:09

their meals? Yes.

37:12

Well, you, you may not

37:14

have noticed, but we're already at sea.

37:16

And I'm sure everyone is a bit busy.

37:19

But it was it

37:21

was a bit weird. Even

37:23

for him. Oh,

37:24

then again, sorry

37:26

to say, we're the crew, a rather

37:29

tactical crew. And when we

37:31

have things to take care of, we must tend

37:34

to them quickly. I don't

37:36

mean to worry any of you, but he probably

37:38

had some preparations because we

37:41

have a lot going on. I mean,

37:44

just last night. And again, I don't

37:47

mean to scare you. We

37:49

heard some reports of sea sirens

37:51

around these parts. And as

37:53

you may be able

37:54

to tell, that could potentially

37:57

cause some problems.

37:59

So if I could just

38:02

ask that all of you, as soon as

38:04

night falls, just maybe stay inside.

38:07

At least for this night, just until

38:09

we're well far out on the open waters,

38:12

then they shouldn't be a problem at all. And

38:15

again, they shouldn't

38:18

be a problem to begin with.

38:21

Not with our sea sorcerer

38:24

or our hartikuk or convo

38:26

or our second maid Aave. Let

38:29

me tell you,

38:29

you really don't want to

38:32

see her bad side. And

38:34

again, don't worry, it's just

38:37

a precaution. Maybe

38:39

he's closing something up in one of the holds

38:42

or getting yewx or something.

38:44

It is funny. So

38:47

don't worry. Plus stay

38:49

indoors tonight, but don't worry. Absolutely.

38:52

Yes, no, no reason to worry. Just

38:54

don't roam around on

38:57

deck. As soon as the moon shows

38:59

up.

38:59

I've only read about them in books back

39:01

at home. They're real. Well,

39:06

standing in front of you, I feel

39:08

like this is proof enough that I haven't

39:11

run into them as well. I

39:13

have only heard about them. I have

39:15

only heard about what they will do to you

39:18

if you... And what

39:19

will they do? That is awesome. What

39:21

will they do to us? I mean, sirens,

39:23

that sounds like... I'm not sure something

39:26

they seem. Do they tell stories? Do they

39:29

tear us apart?

39:31

Oh yeah, they sing lullabies to

39:33

you. That sounds scary,

39:35

but that's awesome. Lullabies is

39:38

a very diplomatic description

39:40

of what they will do to you. I

39:43

feel like most of you are still

39:46

eating or trying to eat.

39:49

There is much time left until

39:52

sunset. Yare? Yare?

39:54

Yare? Yare? Yes. Yareu? Sorry,

39:57

can you repeat that? That will do. Yare. Yare.

40:00

That is the name. Yara, so you're telling

40:02

me at night there's a chance that I can see

40:04

Sirens if I'm looking out, right?

40:07

Well... That is so cool. That is

40:09

awesome. The shadow

40:11

of the second mate loomed over Yara, who felt

40:14

the heavy presence of Av's evil eye.

40:16

No Sirens, no rats. He

40:19

turned just in time to see her finger cross

40:21

her neck as she scalded him from beyond

40:23

a hatch before passing from view. Good

40:26

policy tells me to not

40:28

recommend seeing the Sirens. This

40:31

is not a Siren watching

40:34

tour. So please

40:36

stay on the deck at all times.

40:37

Sorry, yeah, I forgot. This is a fish eating

40:39

tour, whatever. So if we have

40:41

to stay in here during nights, I mean, I

40:45

sure would like to go upstairs now. I mean,

40:47

there's... I know there's much

40:49

water, but there's a lot to see, so if

40:51

you don't mind, I'll take my leave.

40:54

Absolutely. See you.

40:56

Ending both tarts, going up the stairs.

40:58

Wait, wait! There's still the pork! I'm

41:00

still waiting on the pork! I believe

41:03

the pork is a long-roast pork. It

41:05

will be for tomorrow, not today. Oh...

41:08

Huh, so, okay,

41:10

just really quickly. The one thing

41:12

we were all told not to do, but said

41:15

that we all wanted to do, was meet the

41:17

prisoner?

41:18

Uh, not all of us

41:20

though, I have to say. Not all

41:22

of us requested to. Okay, well,

41:25

then who would actually like to head

41:28

to the hold to meet, or try to meet, the prisoner?

41:31

Meet, meet, meet, meet, meet. Okay, so

41:33

show of hands real quick, so I can...

41:35

Meet, meet, I'm using my hand. So me, Viviana

41:38

and Ajay. Great. So

41:40

let's go find Convo and have an adventure. He's

41:43

just past that door. Good luck. Beyond

41:47

the door, mere moments prior, Convo

41:49

spoke with Mr. Omen Page, a

41:51

human with an ever-present scowl and short

41:53

curly beard.

41:55

So what's your offer? Tell

41:57

you what, Omen. I know you don't like this gig.

42:00

And I'll do you a favor. I know that

42:02

guy gives you the creeps. Hells, he

42:04

gives me the creeps. If you could

42:06

get some parchment from the captain's quarters or

42:08

from somewhere else, I'll take the first

42:10

shift off your shoulders. Joke's

42:12

on you. I always got paper. Oh,

42:15

that's just what I need. Ha! Omen

42:18

passed convoy page torn from the ship's singular

42:20

book. The piece was part of a titled

42:22

page, so it was mostly blank. Save

42:25

for the intimidating block letters across the top

42:27

section which read, Rive

42:29

and the head of the shield

42:30

queen. I was wondering

42:32

if somebody wiped their ass with this. Well,

42:35

that's a shit to sleep for me. And

42:37

I just kind of fold it and put it away in my

42:39

pocket. Enjoy your shift

42:41

loser. Don't mind if I do

42:43

man. Don't mind if I do. I

42:47

think as Mr. Omen walks

42:49

out and Ajay walks in, Ajay will stop

42:51

and be like,

42:52

Are you Mr. Omen because Convo

42:55

was looking for you? Yes, we've

42:57

spoken. Sap just needed some paper.

42:59

Ah! Okay,

43:02

good. He asked me to keep

43:04

an eye out for you. Who are you?

43:06

My name is Ajay Ogun. Pleasure to meet

43:09

you. Good. Good.

43:11

Yeah. Are you on the crew? Are

43:14

you a new crew member? No, but

43:16

I can help if that

43:19

is possible. Well, you shouldn't go into

43:21

that room. The holds off limits.

43:23

Omen, Omen, I got it. Don't worry. I'll

43:26

take care of it. I'll talk to the boss. It's all good.

43:29

Omen pulled out a carved oak pipe,

43:32

well oiled from regular use from

43:34

somewhere on his person. He snuck

43:36

a rolled ball of green inside

43:38

the bull end and disinterestedly shrugged

43:41

at Convo. Well, I'm off shift.

43:44

So you're in luck. I don't care. Well,

43:49

welcome. I'm over here and we'll make this quick.

43:51

Obviously you guys are not supposed to be here. But

43:54

you wanted to take a peek

43:55

at our prisoner and it's better you do it with some supervision. and

44:00

try to sneak in here at a different time during

44:02

the voyage. So behold ye

44:05

old prisoner. Convo

44:08

indicated inward toward the middle section

44:11

of the cargo hold. A dark,

44:13

windowless room, lined on both sides

44:15

with crates and barrels stacked atop one

44:17

another, lashed with nets to keep

44:20

them strapped and secured to the walls.

44:23

The center of the room was lined with sand

44:25

and large clay jars marked with symbols,

44:28

which presumably indicated their contents

44:30

and quantity. Above, a sizable

44:33

iron grate separated the deck from

44:35

the dark below. On the

44:37

port sidewall

44:38

bolted to the floor, Convo indicated

44:40

to a large steel cage, inside

44:43

which a massive creature of feathers,

44:45

fur, and claws lurked.

44:47

It scratched outward,

44:50

bored, giving a low inward grumble

44:53

as it looked around for something to eat. It

44:55

seemed to reach for a bucket nearby, but

44:58

just out of its reach, filled

45:00

with the carcasses of dead weasels.

45:03

That is so

45:05

cool. Uh,

45:07

what's his name? It doesn't have a name,

45:10

and you guys never saw it. You guys can

45:12

go about your way now. Have a nice day.

45:15

Oh, I'm gonna name him

45:17

Fluffy. Hi there! He

45:20

is now Fluffy. Please go before he gets

45:22

everybody in trouble. Actually, I'm

45:24

pretty sure she's a she. I didn't

45:26

tell you guys this before, but this

45:29

scar... You

45:30

see this? This scar over my left eye?

45:33

It was actually given to me from a rather intense

45:36

battle that I had with an owlbear in

45:39

the forest some years ago.

45:41

Seeing this one, it... it

45:43

brings me back to that moment. Yeah,

45:46

owlbears can be vicious animals. Surely

45:49

there must be a strong reason to have such a creature on

45:51

a boat. I mean, should it not

45:53

be sedated? Further confined?

45:57

Yes, well Fluffy will stay here. In

45:59

the cage.

45:59

You guys can go back to the mess. Okay,

46:02

okay, one more question. How does she get here? Indiana

46:05

takes out a notebook and starts writing. Alright,

46:08

you gotta write this down, because this is a secret. Very

46:12

carefully. Now go. She

46:16

puts the notebook away and stomps upstairs. Thank you,

46:18

thank you. And

46:23

after he ushers them out, Convo

46:25

closes the door behind them and sits down.

46:29

Kinda looks at the owl bear and

46:31

tosses it a weasel. Yeah,

46:34

you're a fearsome fellow, aren't you? He

46:36

pulls out the little piece of paper and

46:38

the little piece of charcoal and starts scribbling

46:41

and scratching and sketching the

46:43

owl bear.

46:45

After downing its meal of fur, bones,

46:47

muscle, and innards, the owl bear began

46:49

to settle down as Convo sat back

46:52

to

46:52

draw. Yet, just beyond

46:54

the cage of the owl bear, dressed up

46:56

against the opposite side of another connected

46:58

cage, was the actual prisoner.

47:02

A bearded man seated on the floor

47:04

in meditation,

47:05

cast in dark,

47:07

silent as still water, and

47:10

filled with thoughts of

47:12

chaos. Dark

47:14

Dice, Shores of the Silver Throne.

47:17

Chapter 1, In the Willow's Wake.

47:20

Created by Travis Vengroff and K.A. Stats.

47:23

Featuring Jeff Goldblum as Balmer, Billy

47:25

Pichu as Viviana Bloodchamber, Eric

47:27

Nelson as Vind Gravehue, Jasper William

47:29

Cartwright as Ajay Ogan, Danilo Bataschini

47:31

as Nimble Rumbletrax by Trout, Florian

47:33

Seitler as Yara, Enrique Perez

47:36

as Convo, Sophie Yang as Lan,

47:39

K.A. Stats and Travis Vengroff as co-Dungeon

47:41

Masters. And featuring

47:42

the voices of Kira Baxendale, Kareem

47:44

Kromfley, Lika Hochshvili, Chris

47:47

Lierz, Darya Ullman, and

47:49

Marisha Tepera. This episode

47:51

was produced and edited with sound design by Travis Vengroff.

47:54

Dialogue editing assistance by Kayla Shue. Additional

47:56

sound design, mixing and mastering by Dane Leonardson.

47:59

Transcriptions by Shian Fong.

47:59

Francois, and executive producers Dennis Greenhill,

48:02

Carol Van Graaf, A.J. Pumpkin, and Michael

48:04

Villegas. This episode features music

48:06

by David Wise, Stephen Millan, and

48:08

Travis Van Graaf. To support this production

48:10

and get access to bonus releases, music, world

48:13

lore, art, and early access to future adventures

48:15

and D&D materials, please join our Patreon

48:17

at patreon.com slash Foolin'

48:20

Scholar. This is a Foolin' Scholar production.

48:23

Thank you for listening.

48:29

Leviathan was created

48:31

as a sanctuary.

48:32

No, it's... too much.

48:38

Monument to hope. No, we have to run. And

48:40

the last refuge of escape. We have to leave now. We've

48:42

got magic coming! I am a Valkyrie. I am a Valkyrie.

48:45

I am a Valkyrie. I am a Valkyrie. I

48:47

am a Valkyrie. I am a Valkyrie. I

48:49

am a Valkyrie. I am a Valkyrie. I

48:52

am a Valkyrie. I am a Valkyrie. I am

48:54

a Valkyrie. Damn it! I

48:57

murder gods. And

49:01

I will bring the raging infernos

49:03

of hell to meet me under all

49:06

of the water in the sea. No.

49:14

Leviathan was built to represent

49:17

hope. It will still be our

49:19

salvation. Remember

49:21

the Leviathan Chronicles and listen to

49:23

all three seasons of the award-winning immortal

49:26

saga available at leviathanchronicles.com

49:29

or wherever you get your podcasts. Immortality

49:33

or freedom, which would you choose?